Blog - Good communication

Ok call me a fanboi if you want but I'm impressed that the search issue being resolved has been moved up the blog list and timed and dated properly.

Yes we can't comment and it shows the problems with how the blog can be hijacked in all it's glory but I see a blog title that states it's fixed, with a correct date and in the right order.

Maybe they listen more than we give them credit for! This is much better customer service (in my opinion).

Fanboi


Than what - none?

They could do more updates.. Not terribly happy with things going south and not hearing them say anything for a day. Even if it's just "sorry - no news but we are still busting our butts on the problem" would be nice.

Agreed, but as previously updates to fixes weren't timed and dated properly I thought this was a distinct improvement. They should update more regularly when issues exist, it won't appease everyone but to me it's common courtesy.

Since issues........many not minor issues either..........that would require a full time team updating almost 24/7. I would be nice, as you say as a common courtesy. But, I'm afraid the folks who have the power at Linden Labs don't have much of a conception of that phrase in the English language. I'd settle for just fixing the "issues" and not breaking other things.......tell us when it's fixed and move to the next "issue". Do that and really and truly fix it I'd be happy with them.

But, no, we have to deal with half truths, whines, and total BS in the blogs about "issues". Back patting about new ''features" (which mostly break something else)........and tons of updates on that part. If they would have a moratorium on all new features until the "issues" were really fixed (even if it took over a year), they would make a lot of us happy.

Update as needed......fix the problems first.

YES!!!!! [applause]

Peggy, Suzanne, the people working on new issues are probably not the people working on bug fixes. Almost certainly totally different teams. However, having said that, the teams should communicate.

I haven't been here long, but it hasn't taken me long to see that communication between departments at LL is sadly lacking. Whereas I agree with those that say this is a big project with many development issues, they need to release blogs in an order that won't make users think they're ignoring them.

So if the dev team make a breakthrough someone should put a hand on their shoulder and tell them to wait before releasing that info when the main grid is in a mess, as it was this week. It's largely working better for me now.

fix fix fix fix.

Breaking things is a natural part of 'fixing' things.

If a house is too small and needs to be expanded, walls get broken down.

If someone has internal problems, then, often, the skin get's broken to get at the problem.

This world will always be a work in progress. It will stop evolving when LL gives up on it.

Anyone that can't handle that, simply picked the wrong world.

If a house is too small and needs expansion do you also rip off the roof at the same time, then decide to landscape or maybe repaved the driveway before you get the walls back up?

If you need surgury to fix an internal problem does the surgean also decide give you a tuck while he has your head open?

ONE THING AT A TIME..........get it right, then fix the other stuff. Everything is a "work in progress". The successful works are done one step at a time........not 500. And certainly not 450 of those steps just glitsy crap.

And yeah, I can handle it............but not patiently. Not happily. It's not necessary contrary to what all the "give 'em slack guys" apologizers say.

I do think they listen, even though they don't want us to think they do.

I think what you point out is them trying to acknowledge what is important to us (i.e., the game working), rather than what is important to some of them (i.e., some pet project of some Linden that he can't wait to talk about on the blog).

I think they can still do a lot better communicating about resident issues (such as being able to function in SL), and I believe it is crucial that they do so, and right now.

But this is a step in the right direction, I think.

coco

passing the buck is kind of the problem, team A makes some new code, they almost certainly have individual coding styles, magic tricks and in house secrets that makes their team the best for the task

but its not well tested and because of that it causes bugs, massive or minor it doesnt really matter ...

well its not their job to debug it with the existing system so they pass it off to a totally new team, who then has to decipher the code, and figure out how the darn thing works BEFORE they can even begin debugging

i believe if you break it you bought it ...

in my RL job if i cause an error in the database, its my problem, and i have to make shure it gets corrected, (thats why i got off an hour and a half late tonight) not just simply trun in the paperwork and hope someone else, who is totally unaware of what i could have possibly done, fixes it before all data in the system is compromised

Not only that, but I have been pulled off my own projects before (effectively putting them on hold) and put onto some critical issue diagnosis and resolution for something that I did also have knowledge and expertise on. When the house is on fire, you don't say "sorry, I only do windows!", you grab a bucket or get in line and start brigading.

As I have said before, though, you can't put someone who doesn't have the knowledge or background on a particular critical issue where they would be no help. However, all those people in the same area who CAN assist can be pulled off their boiling pots and put on critical issue management. It is done in the real world, and to great effect.

It also gives you a LOT of incentive to make GOOD code, because you don't want to impose on someone else having to get pulled off their project to come help you fix your borked crap.

Rusty, I've talked with too many completely qualified parties on these issues to be certain that what you are saying above it complete rubbish. Well-designed, large-scale enterprises can be scalable and stable. Your attitude bespeaks a complacency that is, frankly, hard to fathom.

How anyone can sit there posit those opinions, in the face of not just people 'enjoying a game', but honest, hard-working human beings who have sunk a good deal of time, effort, and money into a virtual economy and workspace that has devolved through mismanagement, poor planning, and inexpert implementation, is - to be honest - insulting to those very people.

And yes, that was a run-on sentence that should never have grown that large...

Honestly, I feel nothing but a lack of communication from LL. I know Lindens are out there, and they are talking. Just yesterday I saw Torley myself, talking to people about issues in-world, like sim border crossings.

But when we really need them? A good example. I had land that I was selling. I knew the casino owner was going to get it, but I was tired of dealing with it, so I sold it to a man who seemed to be with the Arbor Project (he wasn't). He turned out to be her alt, but at that point who cares? It was gone, I was tired of it. Then she proceeds to message me with this crap;

[4:34] I**** F******: thanks for the land. it was a pleasure
doing business with you. To show my apprecation, does Mia want a
free lifetime ad for her escorting business?


---

Now what? Is she going to advertise my girlfriend as an escort? I'm banned off of this casino owners land, so I can't even go there to check. I AR her, but what good does that do? There's no one to directly talk about this matter. It's the same with the blog... We can only make comments when THEY post something, and only if they don't turn comments off. And are they reading the comments? They say they do, but does it feel like they really are? SL was falling apart over the last few days and all I got out of it was a sense that they might be doing something possibly, keep your eyes peeled if we decide to let you know. Meh. And feh.

If a student put the correct date, and spelled their name correctly on the top of a test page, then got 90% of the answers wrong, I wouldn't give them a passing grade.

my 2L

Well, the people working on new stuff need to slack off once in a while and let the bug hunters catch up a little. And not leave the new stuff in such a buggy state it overloads the QA team.

If teh people working on new features are not fixing bugs, and evidently making new bugs, and there aren't enough people working on bugfixing, perhaps they should consider laying off some of teh feature developers and hire some real bugfixers?

Nah, it'd never work.

I hear this explanation constantly. And it's always offered as a legitamate reason for performance problems. But, all that hogwash is just that..........hogwash (call it BS if you want). Everyone knows most major projects (Second Life falls in that catagory) require team work and divisions responsible for different aspects of the development.....that holds true for almost every major undertaking by a company (not just software development). However your teams are supposed to be working toward a common goal..........successful development of a project. That requires a management structure.......a group of overseers to make the total project mesh as a complete, single, and successful product. It cannot be done with teams working in isolation to each other. The end result is that you get a product like Second Life. Everyone is just doing their thing without regard for the total big picture.

Where is the management structure in Linden Labs? I don't see one. If it's there, then it's a total failure. That is quite obvious. The blog posts show it loud and clear.

I give you the management structure: The Tao of Linden.

http://blog.secondlife.com/2006/07/25/the-tao-of-linden/[/url]

You need read only the first paragraph to understand all.

The Tao of Linden is at the root of all of SL's problems.

coco

(Sorry that URL is in there twice; I can't stop it from doing it.)

So whats the goal in Linden Labs? The end result of what the company is trying to accomplish? With that business model that end result is in constant change........a moving target.

Makes for a nice place to work if you like just fiddling around with neat stuff and getting paid for it, but as for a quality product being obtained........well, I think the results so far speak for that.

That isn't a good analogy. The way it works is...they can build a new house next door and on update day (or during a rolling restart) swap them. Nothing needs to be broken down in this virtual world.

And breaking things is not a natural part of fixing things, even in the real world. Remind me never to have you work on my stuff.

Amethyst

I never said it was a legitimate reason for performance problems, my point is that Team A fixes bugs, Team B develops new features. Taking someone from Team B to go and fix bugs isn't a straight forward process, his or her skills are not in that field.

Performance problems come from a lot of sources. Beta testing is fine but when a new feature goes live there are going to be variables that beta testing didn't explore.

Oh it is in IT Just ask Microsoft!

its different in computers, if you write/edit/manage any type of software you know how to debug, because new stuff NEVER works right the first time

its not like a car designer all of a suddenly being asked to increase welding robot efficiencies

they are all qualified C++ programmers working on a common software package

You completely missed the point. It's not a matter of who does what. You always put your experts where they do best.......that's what experts are for. I would assume (though I don't know why I would assume such a thing with Linden Labs) that the development team is lead by an experienced expert. The debugging team is lead by an equally experienced expert. Same with any other team involved in a project. Those experienced, expert leads have to report to some other group.......call that management. It's the management team that coordinates. But I appears that management team is missing in action.

Like I said a bit ago......it appears the different teams are simply doing their stuff at their pace. Completely ignorant of what other teams are doing. Which means they are also completely ignorant of any goals established by the company. But after reading the TOA for Linden Labs I guess that's what they want. No goals.

Defies logic. Defies intelligent thought. Too many hours sitting in a circle around the community water pipe dreaming the impossible dream. I think someone has a fried brain.